ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The Taliban killed 21 Pakistani soldiers they captured during raids on checkpoints in Pakistan's northwest region, a local government official said Sunday.
Geo News reported the soldiers, who had been abducted Thursday in Peshawar, were shot to death and their bodies dumped in the Hasan Khel area. Two other soldiers survived, Press TV reported.
Political officials and members of local Jirga were sent to retrieve the bodies, which were identified, and the soldiers' families were notified, Geo News said.
Iran's Press TV reported Gul Shehzad, a government official, said Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan took responsibility for the killings.
"We found 21 bullet riddled bodies of security personnel a short while ago in an uninhabited area," local government official Naveed Akbar said.
"One was found alive but wounded and admitted to hospital while another managed to escape unhurt."
Shehzad said the soldiers' hands were tied with rope before they were shot.
The News International reported about 400 militants had stormed the two security posts.
In The Wizard of Oz, a homesick young Dorothy clicks her heels together and exclaims, ?There?s no place like home!? There?s no place like home!?
Mary and Joseph must have felt the same way, when they finally settled into their routine in Nazareth.? First there was that arduous trip to Bethlehem for the census and the frantic search for lodging.? Joseph had been forced to make their bed in a lowly stable?and there, as darkness fell in that faraway land, Mary?s labor began and she delivered her firstborn Son in the brittle straw.? Just a few days later, they climbed to Jerusalem to present the newborn Jesus at the Temple?where both Simeon and Anna prophesied, telling the young couple that their infant was the Messiah! ?Finally, Joseph and Mary had to make that hurried flight into Egypt to escape Herod?s murderous attack on young Jewish male children.
So it must have been quite a happy moment when at last Joseph could turn his attention to carpentry and Mary could sing soft lullabies as she baked bread, her young Son at her knee.
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family.??The last sentence of today?s Gospel passage offers a peek into their window:? ?The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.? ?Young Jesus was safe and snug, in the privacy of his family?s home.
Pope Benedict Encourages Family Prayer
Pope Benedict,in his weekly address on December 28, spoke of the Holy Family as a model of family life marked by faith, work and regular moments of prayer together. ??The house of Nazareth,? he said, ?is a school of prayer where we learn to listen, to meditate, to penetrate the deepest meaning of the manifestation of the Son of God, drawing our example from Mary, Joseph and Jesus.?
If children do not learn to pray in the family, the Holy Father warned, it will be difficult to fill this gap later.
The Family as Domestic Church:? A Contemporary Case Study
Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi understood the need to nurture faith in their young children, and integrated prayer into the daily routine in their family.
Born in Italy in the early 1880s, the couple married in November 1905 in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.? Luigi was a lawyer and civil servant; Maria dedicated herself to her family, while volunteering for a number of charitable and social Catholic movements.
The Quattrocchis had four children.Filippo, the eldest, became a diocesan priest, becoming known by the name of Don Tarcisio.? Cesare, the second son, left home in 1924 to become a Trappist monk, taking the name of Fr. Paolino.??Stefania entered the Benedictine cloister in Milan and took the name Cecilia.
In 1913, Maria became pregnant a fourth time; but because of complications during the difficult pregnancy, the gynecologists urged her to have an abortion in hope of ?at least saving the mother.??? Luigi and Maria refused to abort their child, even though the possibility of survival then with that diagnosis was just five per cent.? Although Maria?s suffering was great, they chose, instead, to trust in God.? The child did survive, and her grateful parents named her Enrichetta.? Although Enrichetta did not enter religious life as her older brothers and sister had done, she devoted her life to carrying, first, for her aging parents, and then for her priest brother.
Luigi and Maria?s loving family is an example of heroic sanctity in everyday life?a portrait of love and respect through the ups and downs of marriage.? On November 25, 1994, the cause for Beatification for Maria and Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi was opened.? Just seven years later?on October 21, 2001?Pope John Paul II beatified the couple, the first married couple to be so recognized by the Church for their sanctity.? On October 28 of that year, the remains of Luigi and Maria were transferred to the crypt in Rome?s Shrine of Divino Amore (Divine Love).
A PRAYER FOR FAMILY LIFE
Dear Lord, with Mary and Joseph, you have lived within a family; Teach me always to appreciate the precious gift of being part of a family. Show me ever new ways to protect and comfort those closest to me, and Let me, each day, do something that will say ?I love you? without speaking the words. But remind me also to frequently say those words. Let me never part from any member of my family in anger. Prompt me always to turn back without delay ? to forgive, and be forgiven. And let me see your image within each person in my own family, and in my greater family, Knowing that in your Kingdom, we will truly be one family, United by your sacrifice on the cross. Amen.
When Mommy is away, Dad and son will play. And if your dad works in the video production business, that playtime gets filmed, turned into a time-lapse video and instantly goes viral. Emio Tomeoni, 30, of Kansas City, Mo., works odd hours and often finds...
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) were joined by small business owners for a press conference today on Capitol Hill on the so-called "fiscal cliff."? The event was styled after the New Year's festivities at New York's Times Square and urged Congressional Republicans not to "drop the ball" on middle class families.
The psychological impact of hair loss on women is believed to be even more profound than that suffered by males. Trials suggest that women confront their alopecia indirectly by attempting to shroud the problem, using altered styling methods and cuts, whereas men usually respond combatively by treating the source of the problem. Women`s tendency to use ineffective coping mechanisms intensifies the impact of hair loss by producing unsatisfying results. Alopecia`s consequences on self-esteem alone make the condition treatment worthy and there are effective, safe therapeutic options. The world of cosmetic remedies is often dotted with unsafe medications, ineffective treatments and false promises. Alopecia`s treatment options, therefore, need to be navigated with care, but there is plenty of hope to be found in contemporary medicine. Androgonetic alopecia is the most common reason for hair loss and is typified by its thinning pattern over the center of the scalp. It is hereditary, with the genes of both parents playing a role. Female pattern hair loss usually happens late in life, but it can sometimes begin during adolescence. Shrinking follicles eventually stop growing, which results in thinning, followed by baldness. Biopsies and blood tests are performed to accurately diagnose the condition. While some women use Finasteride as a treatment, this option is only FDA approved for male pattern baldness because of the risks it presents to unborn children. Nevertheless, studies have been conducted demonstrating the drug`s efficiency in treating female pattern baldness.?
Minoxodil remains the only effective and safe way to stimulate hair growth and slow down balding in women. This topical cream usually demands between four and 12 months of treatment. Randomized, controlled trials have demonstrated Minoxidil`s moderate efficacy for female patients. Certain contraceptive tablets containing estradiol and cyproterone are also frequently prescribed to block the effects of male hormones and, in so doing, reverse female pattern baldness. Hair loss needs to be treated according to its cause and hypothyroidism is sometimes the culprit. Those with thyroid problems will have coexisting conditions such as:
Weight changes,?
depression,?
reduced concentration and?
fatigue.
?
A simple blood test is done to diagnose hypothyroidism and if a positive result is found, hormone treatments are used to stabilize levels. Treating this oft-overlooked condition softens the hair to prevent breakage. Patients with this disorder generally suffer from brittle hair and total baldness is rare. Iron deficiency anemia is a common complaint that can induce alopecia. A lack of oxygen-rich red blood cells is responsible for hair loss, but the condition is easily treated with iron supplements and dietary changes. An increase in iron-rich superfoods such as clams, tofu and soybeans is effective when combined with foods that enhance absorption. Broccoli, strawberries and white wine are rich in the heme iron that improves the body`s absorption of non-heme, iron-rich foods. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a common hair loss trigger, which has the opposite effect on the growth of facial hair. Elevated testosterone and DHEAS levels expose the problem and treatment is hormonal. When estrogen and progesterone levels are off kilter due to menopause or PCOS, oral contraceptives that have low androgen indices are used to treat the root of the problem. Topical ketoconazole is used off-label to curb testosterone production. Shampoos containing the drug are most effective at 2% prescription strength. Those with alopecia areata suffer hair loss when their immune systems assault their hair follicles. This autoimmune disorder causes patchy bald spots, which are best treated with Minoxidil, corticosteroids and lifestyle changes that combat stress. Diagnostic tests need to be done to rule out other potential causes and measure iron stores. External factors such as compulsive hair pulling and damaging hair treatments can also impact on hair loss. Over-dying, cornrows and chemical treatments can make the hair brittle enough to break. Your pharmacy offers information about holistic and medical treatments for a range of hair loss triggers.? *Image courtesy: ? Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images? *Text courtesy Healthcounter?
'; $("#SiteLoginDiv").html(statusLoginStr); $("#SiteLoginDiv").show(); $("#CommonLoginDiv").hide(); //-To Show the Twitter Post Box T("#maincommentdivfortweeter").tweetBox({ height: 100, width: 600, defaultContent: "http://toi.in/gdzORb", onTweet : function (data){ //--------------Function to Post data to the insert2dbfile var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); var comment_text = data.replace("http://toi.in/gdzORb",""); var comment_parentid = $("#comment_parentid").val(); var content_id = $("#content_id").val(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'twitter','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'screenName':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep Healthmeup a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1","whichflag":whihcflag},function(data){ $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+18601).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+18601).html(''); $('#comment_'+18601).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } }); } }); //$("#login-logout").append('Sign out of Twitter'); $("#signout").bind("click", function () { twttr.anywhere.signOut(); $("#first_name").val(''); $("#userscreenname").val(''); $("#userprofilelink").val(''); $("#userprofileimage").val(''); $("#loginusertypeid").val(''); window.location.reload(); }); $("#logindiv").hide(); }else{ T("#twitter-connect-placeholder").connectButton({ authComplete: function(user) { // triggered when auth completed successfully setQuestion(); window.location.reload(); } }); /*document.getElementById("twitter-connect-placeholder").onclick = function () { T.signIn();}; T.bind("authComplete", function (e, user) { // triggered when auth completed successfully window.location.reload(); });*/ //$("#logindiv").show(); $("#maincommentdiv").show(); //$("#facebooktwitteruserdetails").hide(); $("#maincommentdivfortweeter").hide(); }; }); });//------------Document Ready //-------------------FAcebook User Starts var badword=0; function postthecomment1(){ var comment_text = jQuery.trim($("#comment_text").val()); var comment_parentid = jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var content_id = jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); $("#showerrorComment").hide(); $("#commentBoxRes").hide(); if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; $("#showerrorComment").html(errmsg); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; return false; } if($("#whichusertype").val()=='1'){ var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var screenName = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); } var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'facebook','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'username':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ badword=1; $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1"},function(data){ //alert(data); $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); $("#commentBoxRes").show(); //$("#Username").val(''); //$("#Useremail").val(''); $("#comment_text").val(''); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+18601).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+18601).html(''); $('#comment_'+18601).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } var message = comment_text; var article_title = "Hair Care for Women: Hair Loss and Renewal in Women"; var article_page_link = "http://healthmeup.com/news-healthy-living/hair-care-for-women-hair-loss-and-renewal-in-women/18601"; var story_section ="News"; var story_section_url ="http://healthmeup.com/archive/content/1/1"; var author_name = "HealthMeUp"; var author_name_url = "http://healthmeup.com/author/healthmeup/185"; var posteddate = "Dec 27th 2012 at 7:00AM" var article_image_path ="http://images.idiva.com/media/healthmeup/content/2012/Dec/hairlosswomen1_100x75.jpg"; var attachment = {'name': article_title, 'href': article_page_link ,'properties' : { 'Filed under': {'text': story_section, 'href': story_section_url}, 'Author ' : {'text': author_name, 'href':author_name_url}, 'Posted On': posteddate} ,'media': [{ 'type': 'image', 'src': article_image_path, 'href': article_page_link }] }; var action_links = [{'text':'luxpresso', 'href':'http://luxpresso.com/'}]; // FB.Connect.streamPublish(message, attachment, action_links); streamPublish(attachment, 'Healthmeup', 'http://healthmeup.com/', 'Share healthmeup.com'); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled',''); }); } }); }else{ var username= jQuery.trim($("#Username").val()); var useremailid= jQuery.trim($("#Useremail").val()); var comment_parentid=jQuery.trim($("#comment_parentid").val()); var userpassword=jQuery.trim($("#Password").val()); var content_id=jQuery.trim($("#content_id").val()); var whihcflag =jQuery.trim($("#whichcontype").val()); var flag = 0; if($('#UsernameSelector').attr('checked') == true){ var username = 'Anonymous'; } else{ var username = $("#Username").val(); } if(comment_text==""){ errmsg = "Please Enter Your Comment"; $("#comment_text").val('') $('#comment_text').focus(); flag=1; }else if(username=="" || useremailid==""){ errmsg = "Please login to comment."; flag=1; }else if (userpassword == "" || userpassword == "Password"){ errmsg = "Please Enter Password"; $('#Password').focus(); flag=1; } if(flag==0){ //alert("asda"); $('#commentSubmit').attr('disabled','disabled'); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'normaluser','EmailId':useremailid,'whihcflag':whihcflag,'Username':username,"userpassword":userpassword,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid,'comment_text':comment_text,'screenName':screenName},function(data){ //alert(trim(data)); if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); $("#showerrorComment").show(); }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ //alert("dsf") $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('
Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep luxpresso a happy place!
Read more: "2013 Smart Guide: 10 ideas that will shape the year"
For anyone living on planet Earth, 2012 was a rough year. The US sweltered in a devastating drought, only to then bear the brunt of superstorm Sandy. Meanwhile Arctic sea ice shrank to its lowest extent on record, months after evidence emerged that it might have passed the point of no return.
Even as evidence for human-driven climate change continued to mount, the world did little about it. A major UN summit achieved little other than a vague promise to pay developing countries when they suffer harm from the changing climate. Developed countries continued their dash for gas, often using hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" to extract it, and greenhouse gas emissions kept rising. On a bright note, solar panels became the cheapest energy source in parts of the tropics.
Here is our pick of this year's environment stories.
Sandy aftermath: New York City is rotting at the core Beneath the destruction brought by superstorm Sandy lies a more insidious problem. Our reporter Lisa Grossman visited the city days after the storm struck and discovered that rising sea levels are corroding the very foundations of the Big Apple.
Arctic sea ice low heralds end of 3-million-year cover It is smaller, patchier and thinner than ever ? the extent of the Arctic ice cap hit a record low in September. The loss of the Arctic sea ice is arguably the greatest environmental change in human history, and its consequences will extend far beyond the North Pole.
Fungus-powered superplants may beat the heat 2012 saw the US suffer the worst drought in over 50 years, and crops withered. Plants that have been genetically modified to need less water could have helped, but they are time-consuming and expensive to create. So researchers turned to symbiotic fungi that could help crops survive extreme conditions.
Geoengineering with iron might work after all If you want to help stop climate change, try tipping some iron into the sea. For years, this idea has been considered a busted flush, but new results suggest it really can work ? although by itself it won't come close to offsetting our greenhouse gas emissions.
Seismologists found guilty of manslaughter In a case that shocked the scientific world, six Italian seismologists, and a local civil protection official, were sentenced to six years in prison for manslaughter. They were convicted of falsely reassuring the residents of the Italian town of L'Aquila that a major earthquake was not going to happen. The area was struck by a magnitude-6.3 earthquake in 2009, killing over 300.
Lonesome George dies but his subspecies' genes survive The rarest animal in the world is no more. Lonesome George, the last of the Pinta Island tortoises, was found dead in June. But a small hope remains for his subspecies, as its genes have survived on one island in the Gal?pagos, and a careful breeding programme could bring the subspecies back to life.
Hidden green benefits of genetically modified crops Fears about genetically modified crops returned after two studies claimed that they were bad both for our health and the environment. But the evidence was weak at best ? and a special investigation by New Scientist suggested that some GM crops may actually have green credentials.
Europe in 2050: A survivor's guide to climate change Europe is now in a race against the climate. With little hope of a global deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions, big temperature rises are likely before 2100. That means countries have just decades to prepare. From reshaping cities to defending coastlines, we examine how countries need to change to survive.
Geoengineering would turn blue skies whiter Blue skies would fade to hazy white if, in a bid to offset global warming, geoengineers inject light-scattering aerosols into the upper atmosphere. Critics had long warned that this might happen, and now the effect has been quantified.
Earth cracking up under Indian Ocean You may not have felt it, but the whole world shuddered on 11 April as Earth's crust began the difficult process of breaking a tectonic plate. When two huge earthquakes ripped through the floor of the Indian Ocean, they triggered large aftershocks on faults the world over, and provided the best evidence yet that the vast Indo-Australian plate is being torn in two.
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
Have your say
Only subscribers may leave comments on this article. Please log in.
Only personal subscribers may leave comments on this article
Subscribe now to comment.
All comments should respect the New Scientist House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please use the "Report" link in that comment to report it to us.
If you are having a technical problem posting a comment, please contact technical support.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Freezing rain and sleet made for a sloppy Christmas morning trek in parts of the nation's midsection on Tuesday, while residents along the Gulf Coast braced for thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes.
Winds toppled a tree onto a pickup truck in the Houston area, killing the driver. Icy roads already were blamed for a 21-vehicle pileup in Oklahoma, where authorities warned would-be travelers to stay home. Fog blanketed highways, including arteries in the Atlanta area where motorists slowed as a precaution. In New Mexico, drivers across the eastern plains had to fight through snow, ice and low visibility.
At least three tornadoes were reported in Texas, though only one building was damaged and no injuries were reported, according to the National Weather Service. Tornado watches were in effect across southern Louisiana and Mississippi.
More than 180 flights nationwide were canceled by midday, according to the flight tracker FlightAware.com. More than half were canceled by American Airlines and its regional affiliate, American Eagle.
American is headquartered and has its biggest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Meanwhile, a blizzard watch was posted for parts of Indiana and western Kentucky for storms expected to unfold Tuesday amid predictions of up to 4 to 7 inches of snow in coming hours. Much of Oklahoma and Arkansas braced under a winter storm warning of an early mix of rain and sleet forecast to eventually turn to snow. About a dozen counties in Missouri were under a blizzard warning from Tuesday night to noon Wednesday.
Some mountainous areas of Arkansas' Ozark Mountains could get up to 10 inches of snow, which would make travel "very hazardous or impossible" in the northern tier of the state from near whiteout conditions, the National Weather Service said.
Elsewhere, areas of east Texas and Louisiana braced for possible thunderstorms as forecasters eyed a developing storm front expected to spread across the Gulf Coast to the Florida Panhandle.
The holiday may conjure visions of snow and ice, but twisters this time of year are not unheard of. Ten storm systems in the last 50 years have spawned at least one Christmastime tornado with winds of 113 mph or more in the South, said Chris Vaccaro, a National Weather Service spokesman in Washington, via email.
The most lethal were the storms of Dec. 24-26, 1982, when 29 tornadoes in Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi killed three people and injured 32; and those of Dec. 24-25, 1964, when two people were killed and about 30 people injured by 14 tornadoes in seven states.
Quarter-sized hail reported early Tuesday in western Louisiana was expected to be just the start of a severe weather threat on the Gulf Coast, said meteorologist Mike Efferson at the weather service office in Slidell, La.
Storms along the Gulf Coast could bring winds up to 70 mph, heavy rain, more large hail and dangerous lightning in Louisiana and Mississippi, Efferson said. Furthermore, warm, moist air colliding with a cold front could produce dangerous straight-line winds.
The storm was moving quickly as it headed into northeast Louisiana and Mississippi into the late afternoon and early evening, said Bill Adams at the weather service's Shreveport, La., office.
In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant urged residents to have a plan for any severe weather.
"It only takes a few minutes, and it will help everyone have a safe Christmas," Bryant said.
In Alabama, the director of the Emergency Management Agency, Art Faulkner, said he has briefed both local officials and Gov. Robert Bentley on plans for dealing with a possible outbreak of storms.
No day is good for severe weather, but Faulkner said Christmas adds extra challenges because people are visiting unfamiliar areas and often thinking more of snow than possible twisters.
___
AP Business Writer Daniel Wagner in Washington and Associated Press Writer Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Houston contributed to this report.
This Country Club Estates home has a view of Geneva Lake that people swoon over!
Designed for functionality and entertaining, this custom-built home in Fontana, WI offers a beautifully decorated home that was showcased in Sheridan Road magazine.? With huge windows, the gathering areas are filled with sunlight and offer great space for family and friends to get together.
The open-concept floor plan adds to the functionality of the home.? In designing the kitchen, the owners made sure to use all the best finishes and appliances.? Architectural appointments designed by McCormick & Etten.? The gourmet kitchen; has granite counters, Sub Zero, Miele, Viking appliances and a?Bose Stereo System throughout the home.? Beautiful?hardwood floors add to the quality finishing touches that make this home family friendly and perfect for entertaining.
?
Yes, I do believe this is the perfect spot to have your morning coffee!
When this home was designed, the owners made sure that the layout was functional for anybody.? With 2 master suites, it can serve great as a vacation home for friends.? The main floor master bath was just completely renovated and could be a picture for a Pottery Barn ad.? With it?s shabby chic feel and walk in shower you?ll feel right at home here.
The second master suite has it?s own wing of the home.? With a beautiful fireplace and windows that showcase your view of the lake this owner?s retreat will let all your worries melt away.? The bathroom has a deep, soaker tub and separate shower to make relaxing and getting ready easy for both of you!
Tucked away, this Master Suite has lake views, private bath and fireplace!
This home has stunning views of Geneva Lake.? It has an amazing view all year long, sits above Fontana so your view is over the harbor and all of the West End. There is no other place?we would rather be for fireworks and family fun.? With the wrap-around deck, and built-in Bose sound system, it?s the perfect set up for entertaining guests!
Located in Country Club Estates, you are within walking distance to the beach and golf course.? It?s so much fun for kids all summer long being able to created their own memories and make friends at the lake!
This is a home you have to see in person! To set up an appointment to see the property, call or text (262)745-3738.
This Country Club Estates home in Fontana, WI is listed by Michalene & Hans Melges with Keefe Real Estate, Lake Geneva. The Melges team shares their unparalleled knowledge and passion for Lake Geneva with their clients. Listening to what you are looking for in a lakefront vacation home, they will put their knowledge of every shoreline along Geneva Lake to work finding you the perfect home in the perfect location. If you?re looking for a home in Fontana or Lake Geneva, WI connect with the Melges Team for help. They?ll make sure all your questions are answered and that all the details are tended to making your home purchase their priority! Call or text (262)745-3738 to talk with the Melges Team and start making your dream about owning a Lake Geneva home possible!
BLACKS IN UNION ARMY: The 185,000 Black soldiers in the Union army were organized into 166 all Black regiments (145 infantry, 7 cavalry, 12 heavy artillery, 1 light artillery, 1 engineer). Largest number of Black soldiers came from Louisiana (24,052), followed by Kentucky (23, 703) and Tennessee (20,133). Pennsylvania contributed more Black soldiers than any other Northern state (8,612). Black soldiers participated in 449 battles, 39 of them major engagements. Sixteen Black soldiers received Congressional Medals of Honor for gallantry in action. Some 37,638 Black soldiers lost their lives during the war. Black soldiers generally received poor equipment and were forced to do a large amount of fatigue duty. Until 1864, Black soldiers (from private to chaplain) received seven dollars a month whereas white soldiers received from thirteen to one hundred dollars a month. In 1863 Black units, with four exceptions (Fifth Massachusetts Cavalry, Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Massachusetts Volunteers and twenty-ninth Connecticut Volunteers), were officially designated United States Colored Troops (USCT). Since the War Department discouraged applications from Blacks, there were few commissioned officers. The highest ranking of the seventy-five to one hundred Black officers was Lt. Col. Alexander T. Augustana, a surgeon. Some 200,000 Black civilians were employed by Union army as laborers, cooks, teamster and servants.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Security at the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya was grossly inadequate to deal with a September 11 attack that killed a U.S. ambassador and three others because of failures within the State Department, an official inquiry found on Tuesday.
In a scathing assessment, the review cited "leadership and management" deficiencies at two department offices, poor coordination among officials and "real confusion" in Washington and in the field over who had the responsibility, and the power, to make decisions that involved policy and security concerns.
The attack killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans and set off a political furor as Republicans used the issue to attack President Barack Obama before the November 6 election in which he won a second term in office.
The report's harsh assessment seemed likely to tarnish the four-year tenure of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said in a letter accompanying the review that she would adopt all of its recommendations.
"Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department ... resulted in a special mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place," said the unclassified version of the report by the official "Accountability Review Board."
The board specifically faulted the department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, the regional office which is responsible for the Middle East and North Africa, and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, its law enforcement and security arm.
The five-member board said U.S. intelligence provided no "specific tactical warning" of the attack and that there was "little understanding of militias in Benghazi and the threat they posed to U.S. interests" in the eastern Libyan city, where the central government has little influence.
The incident has raised questions about the adequacy of security at U.S. embassies around the globe and where to draw the line between protecting American diplomats in dangerous places while giving them enough freedom to do their jobs.
Jon Alterman, head of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the assessment reflected poorly on Clinton and its recommendations would probably make life harder for diplomats in the field
"This is a mark against Secretary Clinton. While she was not singled out, the report highlighted the lack of leadership and organization on security issues, and those fall into her bailiwick," Alterman said.
"The report, however, relies a little too much on bureaucratic fixes," he added. "Sprinkling people throughout the system who are not only empowered to say 'no,' but have an institutional interest in doing so, will make it harder for diplomats to get out of tightly guarded facilities."
DID LOCAL GUARDS LEAVE GATE OPEN?
The report faulted as "misplaced" the mission's dependence for security support on the "armed but poorly skilled" Libyan February 17 Martyrs' Brigade militia members and unarmed guards hired by State Department contractor Blue Mountain Libya.
No Blue Mountain guards were outside the compound immediately before the attack to provide early warning, which was their responsibility. The report raised the possibility that Blue Mountain guards left the "pedestrian gate open after initially seeing the attackers and fleeing the vicinity. They had left the gate unlatched before."
The board found little evidence that the February 17 guards alerted Americans to the attack or swiftly summoned more militia members to help once it was under way. There had been questions of reliability in the weeks preceding the attack.
"At the time of Ambassador Stevens' visit, February 17 militia members had stopped accompanying special mission vehicle movements in protest over salary and working hours," the report said.
The board recommended that the State Department create a new, senior position to oversee security at "high threat" posts, to strengthen security at such posts beyond what is usually provided by host governments, and to consult outside experts on "best practices" for operating in dangerous environments.
The department should also hire more security personnel at dangerous posts, ensure key policy and security staff serve there for at least a year and consider making it easier to punish those who perform poorly in future security incidents.
The political uproar in the United States over the Benghazi attack has already claimed one victim.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, widely tipped as a front-runner to replace Clinton when she steps down as secretary of state early next year, last week withdrew her name from consideration, saying she wished to avoid a potentially disruptive Senate confirmation process.
Republican lawmakers had blasted Rice for comments she made on several television talk shows in the aftermath of the attack in which she said preliminary information suggested the assault was the result of protests against an anti-Muslim video made in California rather than a premeditated strike.
The review, however, concluded that no protest took place before the attack. Rice has said she was relying on talking points drawn up by U.S. intelligence officials.
(Additional reporting by Paul Eckert and Andrew Quinn.; Editing by Christopher Wilson)
BEIJING (AP) ? Chinese police have detained more than 100 people, among them members of a fringe Christian group, for spreading rumors about the world's impending end, state media reported Tuesday.
Police seized leaflets, video discs, books and other apocalyptic materials in the recent arrests of 101 people across eight provinces and regions, from the prosperous east coast to less developed western China, the Xinhua News Agency said.
The detentions come ahead of Friday, Dec. 21 ? a date some say the Mayans prophesized would be the end of the world and which was the subject of the apocalyptic movie "2012."
Nearly half those detained are reported to be members of the group Almighty God, which is also called Eastern Lightning, after a phrase from the Bible's Book of Matthew. Widely regarded as a heretical Christian sect, the group preaches that Jesus has reappeared as a woman in central China. It has been accused of targeting Christians, kidnapping and beating them to force conversions.
Chinese society has been in tumult as decades of rapid free-market economic growth discredit communist ideology, loosen social controls and pull hundreds of millions from the countryside to the cities. Into the spiritual void have rushed traditional Buddhist groups and Daoist practices, as well as evangelical Christian churches and other spiritual groups, some with unorthodox and apocalyptic visions.
Eastern Lightning first appeared around 20 years ago, and Xinhua said that its members had "recently latched on to the Mayan doomsday prophesy to predict that the sun will not shine and electricity will not work for three days beginning on Dec. 21."
The state-run Huashang website last week, citing local authorities, reported that the group is urging followers to "exterminate the great red dragon" ? a reference to the Communist Party ? "and found a country under the rule of Almighty God."
The holidays are here and food is everywhere! There are holiday parties, family gatherings, people bringing their favorite foods to work and social events. The average American will gain 1-2 pounds during the holidays. That may not sound like much?but we don?t usually lose that weight and it piles on year after year.?
This is not the time to be on a strict diet, but it is a good time to work on avoiding weight gain. Be realistic, enjoy the holidays, sample your favorite foods but moderation will help you enjoy the season without regret.
NEVER SKIP A MEAL. If we skip a meal and are hungry when we arrive at the gathering, we?ll be more likely to lose control and overeat when tempted with high calorie foods. Enjoy a small, healthy snack before going to a party. Try one of these before you head out: half a sandwich with a glass of milk, a small handful of nuts, yogurt with fruit or a few whole grain crackers with string cheese.
WATCH YOUR PORTIONS. If you?re at a buffet or pot luck with different sized plates, use the smaller plate. Studies show if we have a larger plate we take more food, and if we take more food we eat more calories. If there are no smaller plates, decide to eat on the ?inside? of the plate, meaning don?t put food on the outside, decorative rim. Don?t stack your food and skip the seconds.
SCAN THE FOOD TABLE BEFORE FILLING YOUR PLATE. Don?t pass up the special holiday foods, but skip foods you eat all the time like dinner rolls to save calories. Instead of loading up your plate take small servings, that way you can still enjoy the taste without feeling guilty later. Remember to add fruits and vegetables to your plate to help fill you up without going overboard on the calories. Take your time eating and enjoy the taste.
MOVE AWAY FROM THE FOOD. When you?re at a party, don?t stand close to the food table, you?ll be tempted to eat mindlessly while socializing. Remember, it?s okay to say ?No thank you, I?m full? if people continue to offer you food.
LIMIT THE CALORIE CONTAINING DRINKS. Alcohol adds calories and decreases your willpower. Too much alcohol will cause you to lose control at the buffet table. Watch out for non-alcoholic beverages too. They can be full of empty calories. Try lower calorie drinks like light beer, wine spritzers, or diet drinks. Start with a glass of water to quench your thirst and drink a glass of water or diet drink between each calorie containing beverage.
REMEMBER TO EXERCISE. We tend to get busy and exercise often gets pushed aside during the holidays. Plan now to get exercise throughout the holiday season. Exercise relieves holiday stress and prevents weight gain.
You will have slip ups but it?s important to enjoy your friends and family, after all, that?s what the holidays are all about. If you go off track during a gathering, the next day try to eat a little healthier, try to exercise a little longer, and take some time to think how you could have avoided the pitfalls that got you off track. Reviewing what happened and how things could have been different will help you be more successful at your next gathering.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 ended at its highest level in almost two months on Monday on rising hopes that negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" were making progress and that a deal could be reached in days.
After weeks of stalemate, President Barack Obama and Republican House Speaker John Boehner met at the White House on Monday, raising hopes that Washington will be able to head off steep tax hikes and spending cuts that threaten the economy.
All of the S&P 500's 10 sectors were higher, led by financials and other growth-oriented sectors. The S&P Financial Index <.gspf> gained 2.1 percent, and shares of Bank of America jumped 4 percent to $11. In a research note Monday, Meredith Whitney Advisory Group shifted to a positive stance on financials and upgraded Bank of America, Citigroup and Discover Financial shares.
The S&P consumer distretionary index <.gspd>, up 1.8 percent, was the second-best performing sector. Investors worry the U.S. economy could slide into recession if the tax and spending changes are implemented.
Boehner has edged closer to Obama's position by proposing to extend lower tax rates for everyone who earns less than $1 million. Still, his position remains far from that of President Obama.
"Trumping everything right now are the fiscal cliff talks. It seems like progress is being made. I think it's getting to the nitty gritty," said Alan Lancz, president of Alan B. Lancz & Associates Inc. in Toledo, Ohio. "The bet right now is that something will come by the end of this week."
The Dow Jones industrial average <.dji> was up 100.38 points, or 0.76 percent, at 13,235.39. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.spx> was up 16.78 points, or 1.19 percent, at 1,430.36, its highest close since October 22. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.ixic> was up 39.27 points, or 1.32 percent, at 3,010.60.
The gains, which came on lighter-than-usual volume, ended a two-day losing streak on the S&P 500. The index also had its best daily percentage gain since November 23. Volume was roughly 6.2 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq and the NYSE MKT, compared with the year-to-date average daily closing volume of 6.4 billion.
In the financial sector, American International Group Inc. shares rose 3 percent to $34.95 on plans to sell as much as $6.5 billion of AIA Group Ltd. Advancing stocks also included those in the home construction sector <.djushb>, which rose 4.5 percent.
"People are looking for sectors to play, and I think Bank of America broke out of some long-standing price levels, and it got everything going in that sector," said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Shares of Citigroup were up 4.1 percent at $39.15 while shares of Discover Financial were up 1.6 percent at $40.18.
Clearwire Corp agreed to sell the rest of the company to Sprint Nextel Corp for a slightly sweetened $2.2 billion offer just days after minority shareholders criticized the previous bid as too low. Clearwire tumbled 13.6 percent to $2.91, while Sprint was up 0.2 percent to $5.56.
Apple Inc shares edged up after recent losses, rising 1.8 percent to $518.83 even though two firms cut their price targets on the stock Monday.
The tech giant said it sold more than 2 million of its new iPhone 5 smartphones in China during the three days after its launch there on Friday, but the figures did not ease worries about stiffer competition. Apple shares have tumbled more than 25 percent in about three months.
Compuware Corp rose 12.9 percent to $10.76 after hedge fund Elliott Management offered to buy the business software maker for $2.3 billion and S&P Capital IQ raised the target price and moved it to "hold" from "strong sell.
Advancers outnumbered decliners on the NYSE by about 2 to 1, and on the Nasdaq by nearly 9 to 4.
Updated?Dec 18, 2012 12:37 AM ET ? ? ? ? MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)
The Memphis Grizzlies were struggling early against the stingy Chicago Bulls , taking bad shots and committing turnovers.
Then the Grizzlies' bench took over, providing the burst that helped Memphis beat the Bulls 80-71 on Monday night.
''I thought it was huge what they did,'' Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said of the second-period play by the reserves. ''They came in and changed the game, changed the tempo. They got it going up and down a little bit. Got the ball movement where we like it to be.
''I think the first unit saw what they were doing, and what they were able to do,'' Conley said. ''(We) got back in the game and tried to mimic it.''
Conley led Memphis with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting and four assists, while Zach Randolph added 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Rudy Gay had 12 points for Memphis but shot 5 of 13, continuing his slump. Wayne Ellington scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter, when the Grizzlies' reserves provided the lift after a sluggish first period, when Memphis managed only 11 points for its lowest output in the opening quarter this season.
Carlos Boozer led the Bulls with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Marco Belinelli finished with 13 points. Luol Deng and Joakim Noah had 11 points apiece for the Bulls, but Deng was 4 of 17 from the field.
''I thought our defense was pretty good,'' Noah said, adding: ''We are getting good stops, and we are getting on the break, but we are just not getting those easy points. We are turning the ball over a little bit too much on the break. If we can score on those, we can be better.''
Both teams shot just better than 37 percent. But Memphis was 6 of 11 from 3-point range compared to the Bulls hitting only 2 of 11 long-range shots. The Memphis frontline of Gay, Randolph and Marc Gasol were a combined 10 of 34, while the Bulls starting frontline of Deng, Boozer and Noah made 16 of 42.
Memphis controlled the boards 51-39 and had 18 offensive rebounds.
''I thought the second quarter was the problem,'' Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. ''We were outscored 28-14. We had a great first quarter, terrible second quarter and got outrebounded on the road.''
The Grizzlies shot just 4 of 22 in the first quarter and had six turnovers causing them to fall behind.
But the Memphis bench brought an energy in the second that was missing from the starters. Quincy Pondexter , Jerryd Bayless and Ellington contributed on the offensive end, hitting all five of their shots from 3-point range in the period.
Ellington had 11 points in the second to lead Memphis to a 39-34 lead at the break, the Grizzlies biggest lead of the half.
''As a second unit, we just try to come in and be aggressive and bring some intensity and share the basketball,'' Ellington said. ''Tonight, it was coming my way, and I was knocking down shots.
''When you see a couple go down, as a basketball player, it's kind of natural to just get in that zone,'' Ellington continued. ''I got pretty hot in the first half.''
Boozer had 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and grabbed eight rebounds for Chicago in the half.
The leading scorers on both teams were struggling at that point. Deng, who averages 17.8 per game, was limited to four points on 2 of 7 from the field.
Gay, meanwhile, missed all six of his shots in the half and was scoreless.
Memphis extended the lead to 61-53 entering the fourth, as Conley scored seven in the third. Noah had six points for Chicago.
Marreese Speights connected on a tip-in to open the fourth for the first double-digit lead of the game at 63-53.
Chicago turned up the defensive pressure at that point, becoming much more active in challenging the Grizzlies and pushing them to uncomfortable passes.
''You've got to give them credit,'' Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. ''They defend everybody. You look at what they're missing with (injured players) Richard Hamilton and Derrick Rose out, and they still win games because they defend you and make you earn everything.''
The Bulls tried to get Deng involved in the fourth, but he hit only 3 of 12 shots by the time the game reached the midway point of the final quarter.
Chicago got within five points when Jimmy Butler scored on a breakaway dunk with 5:05 left. Memphis then extended the lead back to double digits, providing enough of a buffer for the Grizzlies to win their second straight.
''We'll take it,'' Randolph said. ''It wasn't pretty, but we got the win.''
NOTES: Thibodeau said before the game that Rose's rehab of his left knee injury continues on schedule. There is no timetable for his return, he said. ... Rose, who played one year at the University of Memphis before turning pro, has returned to play at the FedExForum only twice in his five years in the league. .Chicago is 2-9 all-time in Memphis. . Bulls starting G Kirk Hinrich returned after missing two games with a bruised left knee. ''It didn't' feel as good as I would like to by any means, but it was good enough to go out there and play.'' ... There was a 27 second moment of silence before the National Anthem - 26 for each of the victims of the Newtown, Conn., shooting and another for a Memphis police officer killed while serving a search warrant on Friday only hours before the Newtown slayings. . The 71 points was a season-low for Chicago. The previous low was 76 against Indiana on Dec. 4. ... Gay's 12 points ended his streak of consecutive games with at least 14 points at 24.
Ordinary heart cells become 'biological pacemakers' with injection of a single genePublic release date: 16-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sally Stewart sally.stewart@cshs.org 310-248-6566 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL DEC. 16, 2012 AT 1 P.M. EST) Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18)a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats.
The advance will be published in the Jan 8 issue of Nature Biotechnology and also will be available today on the journal's website.
"Although we and others have created primitive biological pacemakers before, this study is the first to show that a single gene can direct the conversion of heart muscle cells to genuine pacemaker cells. The new cells generated electrical impulses spontaneously and were indistinguishable from native pacemaker cells," said Hee Cheol Cho, PhD., a Heart Institute research scientist.
Pacemaker cells generate electrical activity that spreads to other heart cells in an orderly pattern to create rhythmic muscle contractions. If these cells go awry, the heart pumps erratically at best; patients healthy enough to undergo surgery often look to an electronic pacemaker as the only option for survival.
The heartbeat originates in the sinoatrial node (SAN) of the heart's right upper chamber, where pacemaker cells are clustered. Of the heart's 10 billion cells, fewer than 10,000 are pacemaker cells, often referred to as SAN cells. Once reprogrammed by the Tbx18 gene, the newly created pacemaker cells "induced SAN cells" or iSAN cells had all key features of native pacemakers and maintained their SAN-like characteristics even after the effects of the Tbx18 gene had faded.
But the Cedars-Sinai researchers, employing a virus engineered to carry a single gene (Tbx18) that plays a key role in embryonic pacemaker cell development, directly reprogrammed heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) to specialized pacemaker cells. The new cells took on the distinctive features and function of native pacemaker cells, both in lab cell reprogramming and in guinea pig studies.
Previous efforts to generate new pacemaker cells resulted in heart muscle cells that could beat on their own. Still, the modified cells were closer to ordinary muscle cells than to pacemaker cells. Other approaches employed embryonic stem cells to derive pacemaker cells. But, the risk of contaminating cancerous cells is a persistent hurdle to realizing a therapeutic potential with the embryonic stem cell-based approach. The new work, with astonishing simplicity, creates pacemaker cells that closely resemble the native ones free from the risk of cancer.
For his work on biological pacemaker technology, Cho, the article's last author, recently won the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Research Prize, a prestigious young investigator award of the American Heart Association.
"This is the culmination of 10 years of work in our laboratory to build a biological pacemaker as an alternative to electronic pacing devices," said Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Mark S. Siegel Family Professor, a pioneer in cardiac stem cell research. A clinical trial of Marbn's stem cell therapy for heart attack patients recently found the experimental treatment helped damaged hearts regrow healthy muscle.
If subsequent research confirms and supports findings of the pacemaker cell studies, the researchers said they believe therapy might be administered by injecting Tbx18 into a patient's heart or by creating pacemaker cells in the laboratory and transplanting them into the heart. But additional studies of safety and effectiveness must be conducted before human clinical trials could begin.
###
The study was supported by the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Heart Stem Cell Center, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the American Heart Association (12SDG9020030), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (1R01HL111646-01A1), and the Mark S. Siegel Family Professorship. The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest.
Citation: Nature Biotechnology, "Transcription factor-driven conversion of quiescent cardiomyocytes to pacemaker cells," online Dec. 16, 2012; print publication in issue dated Jan. 8, 2013.
Embargoed until 10 am PST (1 pm EST; 6 pm London UK), Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012
VIDEOLINK ENABLED
Thanks to a new, state-of-the-art in-house studio, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center can now instantly broadcast quality HD video directly to newsrooms around the world.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Ordinary heart cells become 'biological pacemakers' with injection of a single genePublic release date: 16-Dec-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Sally Stewart sally.stewart@cshs.org 310-248-6566 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL DEC. 16, 2012 AT 1 P.M. EST) Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have reprogrammed ordinary heart cells to become exact replicas of highly specialized pacemaker cells by injecting a single gene (Tbx18)a major step forward in the decade-long search for a biological therapy to correct erratic and failing heartbeats.
The advance will be published in the Jan 8 issue of Nature Biotechnology and also will be available today on the journal's website.
"Although we and others have created primitive biological pacemakers before, this study is the first to show that a single gene can direct the conversion of heart muscle cells to genuine pacemaker cells. The new cells generated electrical impulses spontaneously and were indistinguishable from native pacemaker cells," said Hee Cheol Cho, PhD., a Heart Institute research scientist.
Pacemaker cells generate electrical activity that spreads to other heart cells in an orderly pattern to create rhythmic muscle contractions. If these cells go awry, the heart pumps erratically at best; patients healthy enough to undergo surgery often look to an electronic pacemaker as the only option for survival.
The heartbeat originates in the sinoatrial node (SAN) of the heart's right upper chamber, where pacemaker cells are clustered. Of the heart's 10 billion cells, fewer than 10,000 are pacemaker cells, often referred to as SAN cells. Once reprogrammed by the Tbx18 gene, the newly created pacemaker cells "induced SAN cells" or iSAN cells had all key features of native pacemakers and maintained their SAN-like characteristics even after the effects of the Tbx18 gene had faded.
But the Cedars-Sinai researchers, employing a virus engineered to carry a single gene (Tbx18) that plays a key role in embryonic pacemaker cell development, directly reprogrammed heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) to specialized pacemaker cells. The new cells took on the distinctive features and function of native pacemaker cells, both in lab cell reprogramming and in guinea pig studies.
Previous efforts to generate new pacemaker cells resulted in heart muscle cells that could beat on their own. Still, the modified cells were closer to ordinary muscle cells than to pacemaker cells. Other approaches employed embryonic stem cells to derive pacemaker cells. But, the risk of contaminating cancerous cells is a persistent hurdle to realizing a therapeutic potential with the embryonic stem cell-based approach. The new work, with astonishing simplicity, creates pacemaker cells that closely resemble the native ones free from the risk of cancer.
For his work on biological pacemaker technology, Cho, the article's last author, recently won the Louis N. and Arnold M. Katz Basic Research Prize, a prestigious young investigator award of the American Heart Association.
"This is the culmination of 10 years of work in our laboratory to build a biological pacemaker as an alternative to electronic pacing devices," said Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Mark S. Siegel Family Professor, a pioneer in cardiac stem cell research. A clinical trial of Marbn's stem cell therapy for heart attack patients recently found the experimental treatment helped damaged hearts regrow healthy muscle.
If subsequent research confirms and supports findings of the pacemaker cell studies, the researchers said they believe therapy might be administered by injecting Tbx18 into a patient's heart or by creating pacemaker cells in the laboratory and transplanting them into the heart. But additional studies of safety and effectiveness must be conducted before human clinical trials could begin.
###
The study was supported by the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Heart Stem Cell Center, the Heart Rhythm Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the American Heart Association (12SDG9020030), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (1R01HL111646-01A1), and the Mark S. Siegel Family Professorship. The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest.
Citation: Nature Biotechnology, "Transcription factor-driven conversion of quiescent cardiomyocytes to pacemaker cells," online Dec. 16, 2012; print publication in issue dated Jan. 8, 2013.
Embargoed until 10 am PST (1 pm EST; 6 pm London UK), Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012
VIDEOLINK ENABLED
Thanks to a new, state-of-the-art in-house studio, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center can now instantly broadcast quality HD video directly to newsrooms around the world.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Mary and Joseph must have felt the same way, when they finally settled into their routine in Nazareth.? First there was that arduous trip to Bethlehem for the census and the frantic search for lodging.? Joseph had been forced to make their bed in a lowly stable?and there, as darkness fell in that faraway land, Mary?s labor began and she delivered her firstborn Son in the brittle straw.? Just a few days later, they climbed to Jerusalem to present the newborn Jesus at the Temple?where both Simeon and Anna prophesied, telling the young couple that their infant was the Messiah! ?Finally, Joseph and Mary had to make that hurried flight into Egypt to escape Herod?s murderous attack on young Jewish male children.
Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi understood the need to nurture faith in their young children, and integrated prayer into the daily routine in their family.
'; $("#SiteLoginDiv").html(statusLoginStr); $("#SiteLoginDiv").show(); $("#CommonLoginDiv").hide(); //-To Show the Twitter Post Box T("#maincommentdivfortweeter").tweetBox({ height: 100, width: 600, defaultContent: "http://toi.in/gdzORb", onTweet : function (data){ //--------------Function to Post data to the insert2dbfile var whihcflag = $("#whichcontype").val(); var first_name = $("#first_name").val(); var last_name = $("#second_name").val(); var screenName = $("#userscreenname").val(); var profile_url = $("#userprofilelink").val(); var profileImage = $("#userprofileimage").val(); var loginusertypeid = $("#loginusertypeid").val(); var comment_text = data.replace("http://toi.in/gdzORb",""); var comment_parentid = $("#comment_parentid").val(); var content_id = $("#content_id").val(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/2db/comment2db.php",{'login_type':'twitter','whihcflag':whihcflag,'first_name':first_name,'last_name':last_name,'screenName':screenName,'profile_url':profile_url,'profileImage':profileImage,'loginusertypeid':loginusertypeid,'comment_text':comment_text,"content_id":content_id,"comment_parentid":comment_parentid},function(data){ if(jQuery.trim(data)=='error'){ $("#showerrorComment").html('User and password did not match.'); document.getElementById('showerrorComment').style.display="block"; }else if(jQuery.trim(data)=='BadWord'){ $("#comment_text").focus(); $("#commentBoxRes").html('Whoa... STOP right there! Pls feed us love, not spam, links or abusive words :) Help us keep Healthmeup a happy place!'); document.getElementById('commentBoxRes').style.display="block"; }else{ $("#commentBoxRes").show(); $.post("http://healthmeup.com/tpl/tplGetcommentadded.php",{"content_id":content_id,"pageval":"1","whichflag":whihcflag},function(data){ $("#showcommentcontent").html(data); var nocomments = $('#nocomments_'+18601).val(); //console.debug(nocomments); if( nocomments > 0){ $('#comment_'+18601).html(''); $('#comment_'+18601).html(''+nocomments +' Comments ' ); } }); } }); } }); //$("#login-logout").append('
NEVER SKIP A MEAL. If we skip a meal and are hungry when we arrive at the gathering, we?ll be more likely to lose control and overeat when tempted with high calorie foods. Enjoy a small, healthy snack before going to a party. Try one of these before you head out: half a sandwich with a glass of milk, a small handful of nuts, yogurt with fruit or a few whole grain crackers with string cheese.![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 16-Dec-2012
Share ]